The Meaning of Redemption
by EAD13
Summary: One-shot. What if Gaius had not given the gang Muzet's dagger and they were trapped trying to enter the portal? What if in order to get out another sacrifice had to be made? And what if, unlike in the game, the other characters besides Elize got to see Alvin's true colors?


**Author's Note:**

First of all, I own nothing but the scenario.

Second of all, the scenario itself doesn't matter nearly as much as what I wanted to write for Alvin, especially for Alvin and Elize. The swingset scene literally melted my heart, and because it was so great everything after it was so unimpressive. I feel like Alvin was able to make a connection to her, but not with anyone else in the party. I had to fix it. So, imagine Gaius did not give them Muzet's dagger and they were trapped trying to go through the portal from Elympios.

My first fanfic for Tales of Xillia, all right!

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"There is one way for us to escape the Temporal Crossroads. We would need a large amount of mana to open the path, though," Milla admitted, showing more human-like concern than anyone would have imagined possible months before.

"So we pool together our resources with a channeling circle?" Rowen suggested, rubbing his beard."

"No," she answered flatly, looking down. "In our current conditions, even pooling our mana together would not be enough. It would take the quantity of mana…" she paused, not wanting to voice her thought.

"How much?" Jude spoke up urgently.

"…enough to kill a person." She closed her eyes, recalling the last time this had happened. In order to save her comrades from Muzet's deadly spirit arte, she had all of her mana siphoned off into the Lance of Kresnik to activate it and dispel the arte. Though she hadn't personally witnessed the group's grieving, she could tell by their reactions to seeing her again that it had been devastating. To even suggest that such a situation would occur again…

"And if we all put in enough mana for it to work…" Jude began.

"…we would all perish," Rowen concluded grimly.

"And there's no other way?!" Leia exclaimed, distressed, green eyes wide with horror.

"Not that I can see," Milla admitted somberly, clenching her fists. "Muzet has seen to that, and even I don't have the powers to cross between worlds that she does."

"Surely if we think long enough we can think of another way!" Jude insisted, no, he pleaded.

She just shook her head. "We could wait for a while until our mana has recovered, but by that point it would be too late to stop Gaius and Muzet." She spoke the truth, and every one of them knew it. At that point, they all began to wonder who it would be this time, who would not make it back with the others.

It didn't take long for his voice to chime in, a voice which caused them to cringe. He had been hanging around in the back, away from the others, knowing full well he wasn't exactly welcome amongst them anymore. He closed his eyes and folded his arms. "Well then, I guess the answer to the problem is pretty obvious, isn't it?"

This comment earned glares from pretty much everyone. "Dare I even ask what is so obvious?" Leia scowled. She wouldn't say it, but she really wanted to know who he planned to throw under the bus this time. She was not alone in thinking it, though no one would say it either. Would he suggest Milla sacrifice herself again because it was her mission? Perhaps that Rowen should because he was an old man? That Jude be the one because he had tried to kill him once before, or Leia herself because she should have died from the wound she received by his own hand? No one could figure a reason for him to suggest Elize, but then again, if anyone could justify it, Alvin could… No words were spoken, but he could read all of that in the looks he received.

He snorted, but when he opened his brown eyes, the hurt was evident. His left hand reached into the holster and pulled out his gun, finger finding the trigger. Everyone's breath was caught in their chests, and without thinking they braced themselves. All except Elize. She seemed to know something that no one else knew, and her eyes widened.

"Alvin…" Milla warned, hand on the hilt of her sword. "What do you think you're doing?"

"When a person dies, all of their mana is released at once, right? Certainly enough to be harnessed for this arte you plan on using." Looking away, he casually released the safety. "If someone has to bite the bullet so to speak…" he said in a low voice, "it should be the one who won't be missed. It seems keeping me around will pay off after all." Still averting his gaze, he raised the gun to his head. "I hope you're ready for this arte, because I won't delay too long on the trigger."

They all gasped in unison, but while they were in shock due to never seeing this coming, Elize was in horror due to seeing her fears come true. She ran to him and threw her small arms around his waist, burying her head in his stomach. "Alvin, you can't!"

He looked down at the girl with a sad smile. "You can't argue logic, little lady. It's the only way that makes any sense." With his free hand, he reached down and patted the girl on her blonde head. She shook it violently.

"No, you make it look so…so easy!" she cried, glaring up at him. "You act like your life isn't worth anything!"

"Well…it really isn't. " He lowered the gun for a moment and knelt down so they were face to face. "My life used to revolve around three things: taking care of mom, getting back to Elympios, and getting revenge on my uncle. Now, my mom is dead. I made it home only to find that the world moved on without me. And I saw that my uncle was stopped and won't ever hurt anyone ever again. I've burnt all my bridges while I pushed towards those goals, so there is nowhere left for me to go. I may as well do something useful, something to pay back in part the debt that I owe to everyone…" His head dropped to his chest. "This is what's best for everyone."

"Alvin…" Jude murmured softly. Before he could say anything more, he was interrupted.

"You're just being a big fat liar again!" Teepo's feisty voice cut through, and the stuffed toy rammed into his head from out of nowhere. "That's just what's best for you, because then you won't feel guilty! That's not what's best for Elize!"

The girl shook her head. "You and Jiao…you're the same. You think the only way to make up for what you've done is to die for people. But that doesn't make things better, it just means…" She began to sniffle. "It just means that you'll be leaving people alone."

More than Teepo's attack, Elize's words knocked the breath from his lungs. He looked at her, wide-eyed. "Elize…"

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It belonged to Jude. "Alvin, I didn't realize…"

He shook his head, waving the comment away. "Of course you didn't. I don't tell you anything, you know. Helps to avoid awkward situations like this." He rose, giving one last squeeze on Elize's shoulder. "Now, are we doing this or aren't we?"

Jude looked at him sadly. "No, I'd rather be the one."

"Why?" Alvin demanded sharply. "People need you. You are going to do great things! It doesn't make any damn sense for you to die!"

Jude simply shrugged. "I'm a do-gooder, remember? No matter what," he looked down, remembering their fight in Hamil, "I just wouldn't be content to watch you die."

Alvin had to chuckle. "You've got that right, honor's student. But still…"

"It may as well be me!" Leia interjected, eyes flashing with determination.

"Or I," Rowen added, stepping forward. "I've lived quite a full life as it is."

"Gee, I wish I had some mana to give…" Teepo said sadly, bobbing in the air.

Elize grabbed Alvin's coat to get his attention. "Remember what I told you last night? I'm your friend! So if I have to, I'll die instead of you too!" Her green eyes pierced his heart with their sincerity, and the young girl's comment hit home for him. Tears stung his eyes, and he quickly looked away.

"We're not getting any closer to getting out of here, are we?" he asked gruffly, picking up his gun. Elize was afraid, but one look at the girl and he sighed, putting it back into the holster. She was clearly relieved.

"Hmmm, I wonder…" Milla mused. They all turned to look at her, who hadn't said a word in some time. She had her hand on her chin, deep in thought.

"What is it? Did you think of a better idea?" Jude inquired hopefully.

"Well, watching everyone, I did have a thought. If we all put in mana equally, we would all fall below the critical point and be goners. But if one person put in their entire mana supply while others healed and donated mana gradually… Worst case scenario, that person dies, but ideally the assistance provided by the others helps that person survive and we still manage to open a portal."

Jude thought. "Well, it definitely sounds like a better idea than a straight-up sacrifice…"

"I'm on board, as long as you let me be the one in the danger zone," Alvin demanded, clenching his fists. He looked back at Elize. "Sorry if that doesn't sit well with you, kid, but it has to be."

This time, she nodded. "That's all right, Alvin, because I promise I won't let you die." Her expression showed clear resolve, and he believed every word.

"Then it's settled. Rowen, you know what to do. Jude, Leia, Elize, be ready to transfer mana. I'll assist Rowen with sustaining the channeling circle, as we will have to keep it maintained for a longer period of time. Is everyone prepared?" The agreement was unanimous. "All right, then let's do it!"

Milla and Rowen sat to conserve their energy, then began casting the necessary arte in unison. A ring surrounded by glyphs appeared in the air over Alvin's head, and he could feel his energy start to drain. It wasn't horrible at first, but it didn't take long to take its toll. His knees began to shake, and his arms trembled in weakness. Closing his eyes, he focused his thoughts on his companions, especially Elize. Somehow that gave him strength.

What he didn't realize with his eyes closed was that Elize had begun transferring her mana to him, literally giving him strength.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but he must have lost consciousness somewhere during that ordeal. He only realized it when he began to awaken. He was lying on green grass. A canopy of dense green foliage loomed over him, and he could hear the call of birds in the distance. Groaning, he did his best to sit up, and came face to face with Teepo.

"Little buddy! You're okay!" the doll exclaimed and promptly swallowed his head. He didn't quite have the energy to pry him off, but thankfully Elize did the job for him.

"Alvin! I told you I wouldn't let you die!" she beamed, closing her eyes in happiness.

He rubbed his head groggily. "I take it the plan worked?"

"Indeed it did," came Rowen's voice. He and the others surrounded him. "We have arrived back in Rieze Maxia. Milla's Shrine, to be exact."

"You've been out for a few hours," Leia admitted, looking a bit worried. "It's good to see you up!"

"A few hours, huh?" He flopped back down, closing his eyes. "Honestly, another nap doesn't sound like a bad idea…"

"You should rest some more. Your body endured quite an ordeal," Milla nodded. "We will wait for you to regain more of your strength, then we will continue our search for Gaius and Muzet."

"Together!" Leia added emphatically, directing a crazy grin in Alvin's direction.

He smiled. Together, huh? Sounded pretty good to him.

"Uhh, Alvin? You want us to move you into the shrine or something?" Jude asked, scratching his head.

"Nope. I'm doing great where I'm at right now."


End file.
